I was born in Winston-Salem, N.C. in 1972. I have one sister, Krista.
Both of my parents were public school educators. My father had been
a physical education teacher and coach and he really loved athletics
and fitness. When I was about eight years old, my father brought
home a Muscle and Fitness magazine that he had taken from one of
his students and I have been intrigued by the human physique ever
since. At the young age of ten, I begged my parents to buy me a
home gym (a bench and some weights). My dad worked with me and taught
me how to use the equipment. After mastering my home equipment,
I started to sneak into the gym at a nearby YMCA to lift weights.
When the trainer there caught me and told me that I was too young
to use the equipment, I continued to sneak in whenever I got the
chance. Finally, he realized that he was not going to stop me and
he began to work with me so that I would not hurt myself.
At
a young age I started taking Tae Kwon Do and I studied that discipline
for approximately ten years. Also, I was a competitive swimmer
and diver in my local area. I played a few years of baseball and
ran track. However, football was my passion. I received All-America
honors in high school as a running back and was highly recruited
by many universities. However, I signed a full scholarship to
play for Mack Brown (now coach of the University of Texas Longhorns)
and the North Carolina Tarheels. I was a four year letterman,
two year starter at fullback, played in 3 bowl games and received
a great education.
In
1995, I signed a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
This was when I realized that I had the genetics for bodybuilding.
As soon as I stepped foot in training camp I was given the nickname
"Conan" by some of the seasoned veterans. I realized
then that my body looked different and I was bigger and leaner
and had a lot more muscular detail than my teammates. Soon after
I was cut, and a year later, I signed with the New York Jets.
During that year, 1997, I should have entered the world of bodybuilding
but I continued to try to make a home in the NFL. After being
released from the Jets, I decided to go back to school and work
towards my master's degree. I received two master degrees from
Pfeiffer University in 2001, one in Business Administration and
another in Health Administration.
About four years later, I joined a new gym. Miraculously, one
day a strange man walked up to me and told me that I would win
the State bodybuilding show next year if I competed. After a lot
of coaxing from friends, I finally decided to compete in my first
show. In 2002, I competed in the Metrolina Classic in Concorde,
NC. I won my class and the open class overall trophy. After this
victory, I was truly bitten by the bodybuilding bug. Four months
later, I competed in the Elite Muscle Classic where I won my class
and the overall open class trophy. In 2003, I won the Super Heavyweight
class in the N.C. State Show and took a close second for the overall.
Later that year, I competed in the Jr. USA and won the Super Heavyweight
class. Recently, I competed in the 2005 North American Championships
where I finished 7th in the Super Heavyweight class.
Bodybuilding
has saved my life in many ways. After having to give up football,
bodybuilding quenches my thirst for competition. Training for
me is a coping mechanism that helps me deal with the stresses
of everyday life. Training and bodybuilding go hand in hand, and
because of that it makes me a better person.
|
